Surprise! Not dead! Now you have to deal with that! :)
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Sirius ran an irritable hand down his face and mentally told himself that violence would solve nothing.
...Almost nothing.
"For the last time Dumbledore, I didn't have a choice. Danny, Harry and Draco Malfoy had already fallen through the green swirling... thing, and those white suited maniacs were bearing down on Ron and Hermione aiming to-" Sirius cut himself off with a growl. "What would you have had me do?!"
Dumbledore simply shook his head slowly, eyes troubled and distant behind half-moon glasses. "You shouldn't have taken them out of the Ministry in the first place, Sirius. Voldemort and his forces had all but been defeated, Harry would have been safer if-"
"Safer! I don't know what battle you were watching, but the Ministry was in shambles! Harry was bloody possessed! And then he was unconscious after Danny ripped Voldemort out of him, and then the bloody madman went and disappeared when the dementors swarmed and attacked Danny! We had no idea whether or not the other Death Eaters were taken care of or if Harry and Danny were even- Ugh! I made an executive decision to keep the kids safe and I don't regret it!"
"And yet you were attacked just a few hours later."
"By a completely different group of maniacs! The group that killed Danny's family and hunted him like an animal for months!" Sirius shook his head angrily, trying and failing to forget Danny's look of pure terror upon realizing they'd caught up to him at last. "Did you really expect me, or Harry and the others for that matter, to just leave Danny at the mercy of those monsters and run!?"
"Of course not... but now we have no idea where they are and Voldemort is still at large. We need to find Harry now before-"
"ENOUGH!"
McGonagall's shout forcibly reminded Sirius that he and Dumbledore weren't alone in the headmaster's office. Still glowering at the headmaster, Sirius bit his cheek to keep from raging. Taking a deep steadying breath, Sirius turned to face the other occupants of the office.
Snape, in all his greasy glory brooding in a corner, brows furrowed in deep thought. Molly and Arthur, looking pale and worried for their son and the other missing kids. Sprout and Flitwick were flicking their eyes between Sirius and Dumbledore, lips pursed and expressions conflicted. Moony, eyes flinty and barely concealing a scowl as he watched the headmaster steadily at Sirius' side. And finally, Minerva McGonagall.
Easily Sirius' favorite professor of all time, and not in danger of ever losing that honor as her eyes flashed and she straitened to her full, considerable height.
"This old argument is getting us nowhere. We don't know where the children are, and we have no leads as to how we can find them, so let's focus on something we can do. With the Ministry being rebuilt and You-Know-Who's forces detained, we need to focus on the main threats to the kids when they come back. What news do we have on those white suited muggle hunters? Or You-Know-Who himself? Do we know what he may do next? Where he may go without any support from his followers?"
Dumbledore pursed his lips, but remained irritatingly silent, hands steepled before him as he sat hunched in his headmaster's chair. Before Sirius or any of the others could reply, the fire erupted with emerald flames and the large form of Kingsley appeared spinning in the fire's heart. After a beat, the man slowed and stepped out of the grate dusting soot off his robes.
"Kingsley! What-"
"I have urgent news." Kingsley said quickly and calmly, deep voice quieting the office instantly. "There has been a break-in at Gringott's. The investigation is ongoing, but we know it was You-Know-Who."
Amid the gasps of surprise, Dumbledore abruptly stood up from behind his desk. "Do you know what was stolen?"
Kingsley nodded gravely, "A small, gold cup from one of the deepest family vaults; the Lestrange's I believe. Thankfully, no one was killed, but many were injured when the dragon kept in the deep was released as a distraction. There's another investigation being headed up by Charlie Weasley for the treatment of the creature after everyone saw it's injuries and how it behaved."
Moony huffed as Sprout muttered darkly. "Well, at least some good can come from this mess." Arthur and Molly managed wobbly smiles of fondness for their second eldest.
"Any leads on why Voldemort took that cup? Or where he may have gone?" Sirius asked, to which Kingsley shook his head.
"No. But that's not all the news I have to share. That muggle couple we were working with, the Manson's? They've gotten word that the reason all those muggle agents were taken from British custody and shipped back across the pond was because their entire government branch has been shut down and is undergoing a criminal investigation."
Sirius perked up eagerly. "Really? That's brilliant!" Sirius could only feel relief at the news that Danny would no longer have that threat looming over him. Now he wouldn't have to constantly keep looking over his shoulder in fear with both the Ministry and those white suited monsters no longer out to get him.
"Truly, such heartwarming news, but what triggered this? Why shut them down now?" Ah, Snape, ever the beacon of practicality. Sirius only just barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.
"Apparently the town that MACUSA had marked as a no-man's-land for magic folk had been held under the agency's control for the past year or so, but the town rebelled, fought back, and won. They shared enough troubling information of what those muggle hunters were doing in their town that there's been a massive upset in the American government, both magical and muggle. So far, it looks like this so called Ghost Investigation Ward will be shut down for good. The Manson's left a few days ago to make sure of it."
"Yes, this is good news, but it tells us nothing about where the children may be. It's extremely unlikely that they made it to an entirely non-magical town in America." Dumbledore dismissed quickly. "Kingsley, has there been any progress in finding Harry? The other children? Has there been any supposed sightings or rumors?" Dumbledore pressed, expression lined with determination and something like concern.
Molly and Arthur look to Kingsley with desperate hope, and Moony put a steadying hand on Sirius' shoulder, which made him realize that he'd tensed up in anticipation.
He may be irritated with Dumbledore and his singular obsession with finding Harry above all else, and ever since Christmas and the mess with the locket and Reg and Dumbledore's attempt to keep it all a secret, it's been hard for Sirius to trust the Headmaster fully, (or at all). But Sirius couldn't deny that he was worried about the kids, too, and would feel a lot better if he knew where they were and if they were alright.
But it was not to be, and Sirius slumped with disappointment when Kingsley sighed and shook his head, saying, "I'm afraid we have no new information. Wherever the kids are now, we can't reach them."
Dumbledore hummed in displeasure and the office sank into another tense silence. Sirius turned and shared a look with Moony, trying to ignore the Weasley parents' shoulders drooping, brows furrowing in concern. The tense silence stretched, but soon it was clear that nothing else of note would come of this meeting, so the heads of the four houses left to check in on the students still staying on the school grounds along with their families. With this GIW organization out of the way and all of Voldemort's forces either in custody or in hiding themselves, it wouldn't be long before they could all go back home.
Sirius could leave as well, as a free man no less. He'd been granted a full pardon and reparation for his wrongful imprisonment, after all the captured deatheaters' homes had been raided and they'd found Wormtail hiding like the rat he was in Malfoy Manor.
Fudge had resigned quickly in the uproar of the Ministry's downfall, leaving the mess for someone else to clean up, namely one Kingsley Shacklebolt. While Rufus Scrimgeour had made a claim for the position, Kingsley was appointed interim Minister since he was actually present in the Ministry at the time of Voldemort's attack.
Kingsley was a brilliant interim Minister and was right on track to becoming the full-fledged Minister for Magic in the wake of stabilizing the Ministry, his quick and decisive action in holding all the captured death eaters until their trials, all on top of dealing with the stupid GIW agents chasing after any sign of magics they could find after their encounter with Danny and the kids on Privet Drive.
Looking at the man subtly but no less firmly stonewalling Dumbledore's attempts to stall the ongoing investigations in favor of pooling more resources to finding both Harry and Voldemort, Sirius was confident that the future of the Magical government was in good hands.
"Sirius?" He turned to find Molly and Arthur had joined Moony at his side. "I know you've already answered this a thousand times, but... you really don't know where Ron and the others went after falling through the... portal?"
Sirius sighed and felt all the anger drain out of him. For all that he and Molly could find ways to disagree and fight over any small little thing, one thing that they were both in complete agreement about was that they just wanted their kids to be safe.
"No, I don't. But... Harry and Danny and the Malfoy boy had already fallen through, and if I know the kids like I do, they'll do everything in their power to keep each other safe, so it's better that they're all together... wherever they are." He pulled Molly into a hug and felt her stifle a sob against his shoulder. He glanced at Moony, and was relieved to find his friend had already put a comforting hand on Arthur's shoulder and handed the man a handkerchief. Always reliable, that Moony.
"We will find them, don't you worry. I'm sure they'll-"
Sirius cut himself off with a gasp as a massive glowing green swirl tore itself into existence in the center of the office.
Cries of shock and fear joined Sirius' own as the temperature plummeted. Fawkes shrieked and took flight as everyone came to their senses enough to point their wands at the portal still expanding and bathing the whole office in a chilling green glow.
But Sirius nearly dropped his wand from shock once he registered the voices coming from within the strange green swirl.
"-telling you! If he put a piece of himself in each of the containers, which do you think he stashed his nose in? My guess is in Harry's noggin'!"
"Wha- Hey! There's no way! I'm pretty sure he'd lost his nose long before he tried to kill me the first time!"
"Fine then, he stashed his lovely flowing locks of hair in there."
There was loud, uproarious laughter that echoed strangely through the tear in reality before another familiar voice called.
"Guys, guys, while this is a hilarious topic of discussion, the portal's open. Try not to-"
"Wha!" A cry of alarm preceded a veritable dog pile of children falling through the green portal which snapped shut the moment they'd all landed on the office floor.
"-trip."
Sirius wasn't the only one to stare open mouthed at the sight before him. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco Malfoy were a pile of tangled limps and smiling faces, Danny and a... miniature version of himself(?) were floating above them with sharp toothed grins and echoing laughter.
Sirius watched in silent shock as the kids gathered themselves and helped each other to their feet, his wand forgotten at his side, but soon enough-
"Ron!" The Weasley parents surged forwards and crushed their son in a desperate hug. Sirius not a moment behind them in pulling Harry close with a choked cry of relief. Lupin was right beside him pulling both Hermione and Malfoy close and asking them if they were alright.
Questions and concerns overlapped and combined into a whirlwind of noise and chaotic relief. After Harry had repeatedly assured him that he was alright, Sirius still pulled him close and looked around to take stock.
The kids were dressed in clean, comfortable looking muggle clothes, no bandages or injuries in sight, and not at all looking like they'd just dropped through a literal tear in reality. The ghost kids were still floating a little above the group, and it was then that Sirius noticed the flash of silver metal on Danny's head, partially hidden by lazily drifting pearly white hair. The young girl floating at his side matched his grin with bubbling laugher as Fawkes flew around the two ghosts with soft trilling calls.
She looks so much like Danny. From her white hair and green eyes down to her face shape and choice of black and white clothing. Sirius could only think that this was Danny's close relative at the very least, if only for the fact that Sirius knew that Danny didn't have any living family left.
As the young girl flew through the air, playfully chasing a phoenix around a grinning Danny, it struck Sirius that this little girl... was a ghost. He had to fight against the sudden burn behind his eyes as the reality of that sank in, and he hugged Harry close.
"Woah, Danny, you weren't kidding. This place is drenched in magic." Sirius looked up once more as the young girl slowed and stopped at Danny's side, shaking her arms and hands as if to dry them off.
"You gonna be okay?" Danny asked, gaining the attention of the rest of the room.
"Oh yeah, I'll be fine, I just won't be able to stay in ghost form for very long. Not like you, Mr. I-Can-Open-A-Portal-In-A-Place-Drowning-In-Magic." She huffed and Danny merely rolled his eyes in fond exasperation.
"Perks of the job I guess. C'mon, let's change so you have enough energy for the rest of the plan."
"Plan?" Dumbledore's voice cut through the office, and the ghost's heads whipped around at the strangely cold tone. Looking quickly at the headmaster, Sirius found he did not like the sharp look of scrutiny now aimed at the ghost kids. "What plan?"
"Sorry Mr. Dumbledore, that is for us to know and for Harry to decide whether or not we tell you." With a decisive nod, Danny lowered himself down to the ground and with twin flashes of blinding silver, Danny stood human once again with an equally human looking girl holding his hand, which... raised several questions upon the mountain that Sirius already had.
Harry snorted softly and shared an amused look with his friends at the shock plastered on the adults' faces.
In the tense silence that once again swallowed the office, Kingsley cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Danny Fenton? I would like to offer you an apology for the actions of the Ministry of Magic. It was a grievously misguided act against you, and all who were responsible for both your treatment and wrongful capture have been dealt with accordingly." Kingsley bowed with respect. "I want to assure you that nothing of the sort will ever happen to you or those like you again."
"Oh." Danny blinked in confusion, and Sirius had the sinking feeling that Danny had actually forgotten what the Ministry had done to him not even a fortnight past. "Um, thank you sir. I appreciate the apology."
"Please, call me Kingsley, Mr. Fenton."
"Then call me Danny. It's nice to meet you. Oh! This is Ellie!" Danny introduces the young girl at his side at last, who waves and smiles brightly up at the interim Minister of Magic. "And while it's really nice of you to apologize and all, why don't we talk more later. We've got to get going, right guys?"
"Yeah, let's get this done and over with." Ron said as he extricated himself from his parents arms, Hermione and Draco Malfoy stepping closer to Danny and Ellie with quiet determination. Harry shot an apologetic look at Sirius before pulling away as well.
"Wait just a moment! Going? Over with?! What on earth are you talking about!?" Molly questioned quickly. "We haven't seen hide nor hair of you in days and you just appear out of nowhere! Where have you been?! What have you been doing!?"
"Easy Mum! We're fine! We were just in the- what was it called? The Infinite Realms?" Danny nods. "The Infinite Realms." Ron concludes with a grin. "A lot's happened since everything happened in the Ministry, but here's the gist of it..." Ron takes a deep breath.
"We escaped the Ministry, took a taxi, Harry and Danny got better in Harry's Aunt and Uncle's house, then we were attacked by these crazy muggle hunters after Danny, so we ran but not quick enough. When they caught up to us Danny accidently ripped open a portal into the realm of the dead, and we all fell through. Then we met Ellie, Danny's little sister who'd been looking for him, and then we met Frostbite, a giant yeti ghost with a wicked looking ice arm, and then we met Clockwork, Danny's mentor who just happens to be the ghost of bleeding time, and then we go to Danny's old hometown and help fight the white-suited blokes with lasers and red mind control rocks and now that that's all taken care of, we have just one more thing to do before we can finally get some Merlin forsaken rest."
Ron panted as he finished, his friends trying to desperately contain their laughter at what must be a grossly summarized version of what they'd been through, and yet Sirius couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Well done Ron." Hermione praised while Malfoy snickered but still patted the red-head on the shoulder with a smile. Molly and Arthur looked bewildered and a little lost, both Kingsley and Moony looked concerned but thoughtful. Dumbledore alone, hid all expression behind a blank mask.
"Realm of the Dead?" Moony questioned, to which Danny and Ellie both nodded.
"Yeah, it's the dimension that ties together all other dimensions. It's an infinite expanse across space and time, hence the name the Infinite Realms." Danny supplied.
"Yeah! And Danny's the Ki- Mph!" Danny quickly muffled Ellie by slapping a hand over her mouth, glancing briefly at Kingsley with an apologetic look.
"Let's not get into that just yet, alright Ellie? We'll figure all that out after we take care of the last thing on our to-do list."
"Which would be?" Dumbledore asked in a calm voice that clearly masked something else.
There was a brief pause as Danny and Harry exchanged a loaded look.
"We know how to get rid of Voldemort." Harry said at last. "We're here to pick something up that'll help Danny find him, and then we'll be off to stop him. For good this time."
A beat of complete silence.
Then all hell broke loose.
"WHAT!?"
"What do you mean-"
"How do you-"'
"There is no way-"
"Absolutely not-"
"HEY!" Danny's voice shook the very walls and rattled the portraits of previous headmasters. It also quieted the office's occupants and left six children glaring at the matching number of adults present. Danny huffed a resigned breath as he rubbed at his ears, Ellie doing the same by his side. "Alright, let's try again. Inside voices please."
Dumbledore stepped forward. "No matter what you think you know, we cannot allow you to go after Lord Voldemort. He is far too powerful a wizard and is far too desperate after losing his army-"
"With all due respect Professor," To Sirius' shock and blinding pride, Harry James Potter interrupted Albus Too-Many-Middle-Names Dumbledore, "We've already accounted for that. We-" Harry gestured to his friends at his side, "have a plan. We came up with it have already put it into motion on the way here. Plus, Danny's already proven to be more than a match against Voldy anyway."
"Do you even know where the guy is?" Danny asked then, eliciting a sharp look from the headmaster that told Danny all he needed to know. "Look, I realize that you want to take care of this and keep us kids out of the way and all, but we're already in the middle of it, and we know what we're doing."
"I don't think you do. There are powers and magics at play that you don't and shouldn't understand." Dumbledore turned to face Harry, and Sirius resisted the urge to glare. "Harry, you do have a part to play in all of this, if you'll give me a moment I can show you the prophesy that was made, for I was the one it was told to originally. Once you hear it you'll understand-"
"No thanks." Harry said stoutly, crossing his arms. "I smashed that on purpose you know, and I have no interest in knowing what it says about me or Voldemort."
Sirius couldn't help an incredulous snort of laughter at the look on the headmaster's face. Moony shot him a look that expressly told him to 'shut up' as only Moony could, so Sirius composed himself just in time to hear Dumbledore almost pleading with Harry now.
"-isten, it is far too dangerous to face Voldemort as he is and as you are. You are both connected in ways that you can't possibly imagine."
"Connected? You mean by the soul shard Voldy left in my head? I already know about that." Harry's abrupt statement had all the adults, save for Sirius, gasping in horror. Harry and his friends merely stared at them with the sort of patience that rivaled that of a glacier, slowly but surely cutting through mountains.
Moony, bless him, was the first to get over his shock and ask the questions they needed answers to. "How do you know?"
Harry turned away from Dumbledore to answer. "Danny sensed it, the night that Mr. Weasley was attacked." Harry paused when Arthur and Molly gasped, and he gave them an apologetic look as he continued. "Danny told me that he'd sensed something that night but couldn't tell what it was. It wasn't until he found and destroyed the locket that we knew that not only am I a container for a piece of Voldemort's soul, but that there are more containers out there, all preventing him from dying completely."
"And how are you planning on dealing with all the horcruxes?" Moony asked slowly.
"By going directly to the source." Danny answered. "It would take way too long to go after each piece individually, but when I accidently possessed Voldy's pet snake in the Ministry, I felt the connection between the piece of soul she contained and the original being that soul once belonged to. So, if I'm able to possess Mr. No-Nose directly, I can claim his soul and destroy the corrupted pieces he's lopped off of it through those present connections, all without harming the containers housing them."
"Claim his soul?" Dumbledore spoke up at last, giving Danny an unreadable look.
Danny turned and locked eyes with the headmaster, a sharp smile slowly widening baring sharp teeth, "Oh yes. A damned soul doesn't belong in any living realm. Tom Riddle's soul is existing on borrowed time." Danny's tone took on an edge that slid down Sirius' spine, making him shiver.
"Yep, the dude is practically toast already." The charged atmosphere popped in an instant as Ellie clambered up onto a resigned Malfoy's shoulders, and then pointed towards the door. "Now can we go and get the thing we need already? Onwards! Let's get this done!" Moony laughed softly beside him, and Sirius smiled alongside the rest of the kids as they turned to leave the office.
"No." The word rang out and the kids all froze. Dumbledore was standing stiff with his wand raised, leveling a look at the kids that held the deceptive calm before a storm. "I can not allow you to go. There is plan already in place to end Voldemort's time in this world, and I must-"
"Expelliarmus." It was said so quickly, so casually, that Sirius only saw Harry snatch the Headmaster's wand out of the air after the spell had long since been cast.
"Sorry Professor." Harry said, voice edged with steel. "Our plan is already underway. Our plan involves all of us and doesn't require anything from you. You say you have a plan, and you're so sure that it'll work, but tell me this Professor... of everyone in this room, or in this school, or in the Order, how many people involved in your plan know the full details, aside from you?"
Dumbledore remained silent.
Harry shook his head, put the Headmaster's wand down on the desk and turned away. "You can't stop us Professor, but," Harry looks up at Kingsley, Molly, Arthur, Moony and finally rests his gaze on Sirius himself, "If you want to help us, we'll tell you the rest of our plan on the way to the seventh floor."
With that, the kids walked out of the office, and Sirius was right behind them. When the Headmaster's heavy door swung closed, the only one left in the office was the headmaster himself.
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Lord Voldemort looked down upon the sleepy little hovel of a town. Standing in the home of the once proud Gaunt family, he clutched Helga Hufflepuff's golden chalice and Marvolo Gaunt's heirloom ring close enough that he could almost imagine he felt the flickers of familiarity between himself and the pieces of his soul he'd sealed away.
Glaring through the window of the shack that had once housed the proud descendants of Salazar Slytherin himself, he watched the shadows stretch and writhe in the waning light, doing nothing to hinder the cold fog of despair and misery that hung in the air. The biting chill of the dementor hoard had long since numbed his senses, and their strangled breaths and dark shrouds were all that was left to him of his meticulously rallied forces.
He'd been so close.
The Ministry had been on a steady decline while being led by utter fools, hindering Dumbledore and his precious Order and their foolish attempts to thwart him. His forces, numbering well into the hundreds, of wizards and creatures who were tired of hiding from magicless beings that should have been bowing to them in awe and fear long ago had moved swiftly at his command.
Both Harry Potter and the half-breed muggle mongrel had been right where he'd wanted them.
And now, he; Lord Voldemort, most powerful and feared wizard of his generation, capable of magnificent feats of magic and sole heir to the great Salazar Slytherin, daring to go beyond his mere mortal constraints to achieve true power over life and death... he'd been reduced to... this.
Skulking like a coward in this desolate shack on the edge of a sleepy muggle town, clutching the very objects that he'd been so clever, so powerful, so strong to make; glittering with hidden mystery and power. Now that he knew what that hybrid could do... the power it wielded... the words it spoke booming through his mind and refusing to grace him a moment of peace.
He'd determined rather quickly that his horcruxes were no longer safe.
He'd made sure to snatch Hufflepuff's cup while the Ministry was still in shambles and incapable of protecting or following up such a retrieval, and now he had his grandfather's ancient family ring, curse nullified for easy handling. Next, he was to go to the cave on the cold sea shore that housed Slytherin's locket. Ravenclaw's diadem was safe for now in Hogwarts' depths; the mysteries of the castle of which only he'd ever been able to discover, was more than enough to house the precious heirloom.
He'd need to break into Azkaban soon to pry his diary's location from Lucius, since it was not held in the ancient Malfoy vault in Gringotts or on any of Malfoy's properties. He'd do so once the Ministry inevitably caved to Dumbledore's demands and focused their efforts on finding him, leaving the prison less protected from outside attack.
Voldemort turned and left the decrepit home of his once living relatives, the icy fog parting before him, the dementor hoard that was the last of his once great and loyal following swirling around and above him like the wretched wraiths they were.
He'd never needed protection from the creatures, for he'd never had any exploitable happiness for them to feed upon, and that had always been a point of great pride for him.
But now their presence was just another reminder of just how far he'd fallen. For these creatures had not stayed out of loyalty or sense of pride or fear, they'd only agreed to serve him if he gave them another chance at feeding off of the hybrid ghost's soul.
Anger and shameful resentment rose up within Voldemort's chest, nearly suffocating him.
If only the hybrid had been snuffed out after falling through the veil in the Room of Death.
If only Potter hadn't fought so hard against his possession.
If only he'd been able to control the hybrid and turn it against it's so called friends.
If only Potter hadn't smashed the prophecy and damned him to forever questioning whether or not he'd been fated to ascend in this world, or if he'd need to go against destiny to claim what was rightfully his.
Hissing through his teeth, Voldemort almost missed the flutter of otherness sweep through the mists surrounding him. He stood still, listening intently as even the choked breaths of his dementors went silent in anticipation. He could hear nothing and saw nothing but the mists surrounding him on all sides. Even trapped within this deathly silence and sudden stillness, Voldemort would never admit to the sudden fission of fear scuttling down his spine.
In a single breath, an aborted footstep through the mist, the world shattered around him with an overwhelming chorus of warbling shrieks and spiking static.
Clutching his precious soul-carriers close, he tried to apparate, to escape the all too familiar sounds of his enemies clashing with his laughably diminished forces. When he found he couldn't escape, Voldemort simply raised his wand with a steady hand to face those foolish enough enter the mists that obscured both his presence and his vision; a help and a hinderance.
Which is when he finally saw who, or rather what, had enough nerve to face off against Lord Voldemort at his most desperate and most dangerous.
Fiery green and swirling starlight merged into a most horrifying display of efficient destruction. The dementors screamed as they scattered before gleaming patronuses, ambling through the mists accompanied by ghastly creatures that Voldemort himself could never have imagined existing in this or any realm.
Beings of pure energy with skin made of metal, fiery green hair spitting and snapping as beams of deathly green shot out to destroy any and all dementors that attempted to flee or fight.
There was one even taller than his giants, with golden armor gleaming, all four arms handling glowing swords that cut through the shadows and mists as it laughed with gleeful triumph as more and more of the dementors fell at it's feet and faded into nothing.
A ground-shaking roar brought Voldemort's attention to two beasts emerging from the mists. A dragon of a species long extinct but forever known as the most powerful, gleamed with pearlescent glowing scales as a furred monster decorated in ice and fangs and bones roared as they felled swathes of Voldemort's last hoard of followers, however loathsome they were.
No matter what spell or curse Voldemort flung into his surroundings, nothing stopped the beasts or the patronus charms they fought beside, empowering and delighting them in equal measure.
More and more of these creatures faded in and out of the blinding mists still surrounding him; siren song and blue fire flashed, childish laugher and the snapping of bones, the revving of a muggle machine swallowed by living shadow, electricity crackling and voices crowing in victory; and before long, the final dregs of the dementor's influence faded.
Desperate and sick with confusion and rage, Voldemort screamed a banishing spell that ripped outwards in a great burst of energy.
And yet it did nothing but banish the mists that had blinded him.
"There you are."
And reveal himself to the two beings in this world that had cost him everything.
Harry Potter stood before him, wand held loosely at his side in a show of callous naivety before the most powerful wizard of the age. But, perhaps that was simply due to the fact that a gleaming stag patronus stood sentinel at Potter's side. Or, it was the infinitely more powerful being that floated on Potter's other side, with arms crossed over moonsilver armor, floating black circlet casting a shimmering aurora around it's head but doing nothing to detract from the cold, pupilless green voids currently pinning Voldemort in place.
It was then that Voldemort realized what the beasts that'd decimated his hoard of dementors must be. Or rather, who they served.
"No more running, Tom Riddle. No more plans or schemes or threats or anything else. This is the end." Potter spoke quietly, and yet Voldemort heard every word echo through the open clearing they stood in as if it were a death knell.
Voldemort bared his teeth in a snarl and whipped his wand back to punish the idiot child before him for the audacity of speaking to him so casually, without a hint of fear, but... he paused.
Beings, both magical and beastly, prowled at the edge of his sight, and he didn't doubt that he was already surrounded, but he kept his gaze solely on the two boys before him.
Voldemort clutched his precious horcruxes tightly but he already knew that this was not a fight he could win. He'd just have to lay low once more, relying on his still hidden soul carriers to protect him from death and leave him as nothing more than a wisp of unyielding consciousness once again.
But he would still return.
He'd claw his way back to power just as he'd done before, there was no doubt-
"Make no mistake Tom Riddle. Your soul's existence ends today." The ghost hybrid's voice echoed loud and harsh with static, shaking Voldemort's very thoughts, setting off a soft yet ominous ticking noise in the back of his mind.
Lord Voldemort straightened his spine and looked down on the two boys who he might actually fear, lips curling back in a sneer to hide his mounting panic.
"So bold of you to confront me like this." He hissed savagely. "You may have knowledge of my horcruxes, but you have no idea how far I've gone to protect my soul! These are but a few paltry pieces! You'll never be able to find them all before I rise once more!" His voice cracked with hysteric joy at his own revelation.
Yes! They may have destroyed Nagini and they may take the cup and ring once they destroy him here, but they'll never find the diary, the locket, the diadem, and what could they do about the boy!
"Even if you were to find all the pieces that tether me to life, you wouldn't dare destroy your very own Boy Who Lived, would you?" Voldemort laughed, loud and cold. "Oh yes! He houses one of my precious soul pieces as well, just as Nagini did! If you are so determined to thwart me and my purpose you'll have to sacrifice your own-"
"You're right, they wouldn't sacrifice me." Potter interrupts, voice impassive and maddeningly calm. "But you're wrong about a number of things."
tick. The ghost, Phantom, began drifting upwards as Potter spoke.
"One. We know where all of your soul pieces are."
tock. Voldemort scoffs, tightening his grip on his wand. If these beasts and brats were going to take this body, then he'd at least take a few of them with him, and he'd revel in that victory for as long as it took for him to gather enough strength to reform another body.
"Two. We've already destroyed some of them. All the remaining pieces are right here."
Tick. Potter then raises his left hand and laying there on his palm is the glittering silver diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. Ice fills Voldemort's mind as disbelief wars with mounting horror.
"I destroyed the diary in my second year. Danny destroyed Slytherin's locket over Christmas, and then he destroyed Nagini's piece as well. Now all that's left of your soul is what's in this tiara, that cup and ring, and then you and me."
Tock.
Voldemort eyes were locked on Potter and Phantom, the ghost now floating high enough that the aurora cast off it's crown was reflecting off the stars appearing in the ever darkening sky above them. Potter put a hand on the patronus standing beside him, the silver starlight swirling and reflecting off the boy's glasses and making them flash blind white.
Tick.
Movement on the fringes. Glowing beings lighting up the night alongside all manner of patronus charms big and small, surrounding him and casting the living wizards into nothing but shadowed silhouettes. All of them closing in and closing ranks behind the two boys standing before him.
"And three." Potter whispers, and the shadows stop and still. "I'm not going to die here, and neither are you, Tom Riddle." Voldemort gasps as his hand shakes. "You... are going to be erased."
Tock.
"Time's up."
Rushing death burst from his wand tip as a desperate cry escaped him at the sight of Phantom flying towards him. The scream of a returning spell, the kaleidoscopic burst of red, green, gold, silver sparks shattering, and looming green vortexes of oncoming death was all he saw before everything went white.
.
.
In the end, it was a simple plan.
Go to Hogwarts and collect the horcrux stashed there. (Clockwork had left them with nothing but riddles and wordplay as their hints for what to do next, and the rant Hermione had gone on after she'd figured out where the horcrux was in Hogwarts was a thing of beauty.)
Danny uses said horcrux to find out where Voldemort is.
Gather their friends, both ghostly and magical, and have the wizards cast patronus charms to give the ghosts an energy boost.
So far, everything was going wonderfully.
It was beautiful, really. The ghosts; some of which were Danny's friends, and others more like frenemies; looked to be dancing with the patronus charms, all while grinding soul-eaters under their collective heels, of course.
Harry managed to catch glimpses through the mist; Sirius' grim bounding close to Frostbite and Dora, Ron's beagle leaping alongside Jonny, Kitty, and Shadow, Hermione's otter gracefully swirling around Ember, Lupin's wolf staying close to Ellie's side, Kinsgley's lynx keeping pace with Pandora.
Harry grinned when he caught sight of a star bright mink zig-zagging through the mists. He'd never forget the look of awe and delight that lit Draco's face as his patronus took a corporeal form.
The patronus charms gave the ghosts enough power to not just scatter the dementors, all that was left of Voldemort's once great army, but outright destroy them and return them to nothing but formless shadow.
All the while, Danny floated at Harry's side, watching. Waiting.
As the chill of dementor's eased into the chill of night descending, Danny passed Harry the diadem, and whispered, "They're here. All the pieces."
Harry nodded in understanding and Danny nodded back before silver rings burst into being and revealed floating crown and glittering armor.
An instant later, and the mist was banished with a powerful pulse of magic... and there he stood.
Lord Voldemort. All alone.
"There you are."
Harry stood tall, with Danny and his stag patronus at his side, friends and family and ghosts closing ranks and cutting off any chance Voldemort had of escaping this.
Harry watched as Voldemort unraveled before their very eyes as he realized, piece by piece, that he wasn't getting out of this. This was his end.
When Danny made his move, shooting forward and blazing bright in the dark night, Harry's shouted protection spell collided with Voldemort's final killing curse and it burst into a bloom of colorful sparks, creating a shockwave that crashed outwards and sent Harry stumbling then falling just as Danny reached Voldemort.
Harry glimpsed the star studded sky before his world went white.
Now, Harry knew that there was a very small chance that their plan to take out the horcruxes through their connection to Voldemort's original soul wouldn't work.
It was a really small chance, since the ̶G̶o̶d̶ Ghost of Time had all but told them what to do, but still... Existing as a formless consciousness in an endless white expanse is not giving him much hope that he'd made it though the destruction of the horcrux in his head unscathed.
But then, Harry realized that he couldn't have died just yet, because he felt something. And it hurt.
Something writhing and jagged and sick, a horrible feeling growing in intensity the longer Harry focused his attention on it. Before it all became too much and Harry wished for a mouth so he could scream, another something settled around him and muted the first.
Soft, cool, bright... It reminded Harry of something. ...Or was it someone? He couldn't be sure, but the pain from before was getting steadily weaker so Harry was grateful.
But it seems the first something didn't like being smothered by the second something, and violently lashed out against it.
If Harry could have gasped he would've. As it was, he was stuck as something formless and helpless to the sudden violent flashes of memory that didn't belong to him.
A gargantuan snake emerging from below, a young girl's shrill scream echoing off tiled walls abruptly cutting off, a small bound book snapping shut.
A broken home littered with broken glass and finery, three people screaming in agony and fear, a ring's black stone glittered.
A treasure trove of gifts piled high, tears streaming down rose-red cheeks, agonized choking unable to gasp for breath, drowning in a golden cup full of poison.
A darkened alley, pained cries dying without being heard, forgotten and alone, a locket clasp snaps shut
A forest filled with shadows, screams lost to the sounds of trees toppling, a diadem falls filled with knowledge and secrets.
A crib broken and empty, parents scream as their bodies fall, a baby cries with blood running down it's face.
A broken home covered in the dust of years passed, the blank stare of a broken mind, harsh breathing and stifled cries as a snake writhes.
A husk of what once was. A body falling and a soul claimed. Nothing and no one evermore.
After seconds, or minutes, or months or years, Harry felt the cool touch of familiarity calm his very existence as one by one, the strands tethered to broken and jagged pieces snapped and faded into nothing, until the only feeling Harry felt was the one that reminded him of starlight reflecting off of fresh fallen snow.
And then even that something began to fade, and with it the world around him began to dim. Nothing and everything collapsed and expanded as Harry's formless consciousness ceased.
He opened his eyes.
Leaves rustled in a gentle breeze, stars dotted the sky, and Danny's glowing green eyes blinked down at him.
"You okay Harry?"
Harry grinned.
"Yeah. I'll be alright."
.
.
.
;)
See you next chapter!